Back to School in Style

Last year, Bird started going to "prek" two mornings a week at the local First Baptist Church. He (and I) loved it. It was such a success that we signed him up to go again this year. When we recently started telling him school time was coming up, he wasn't too excited. He was also puzzled as to why he would have a new teacher and classroom. All the anxiety ended, however, when we went to orientation last week. When Bird walked into his new classroom, he looked around, did a fist pump, and said, "YES!!" The room is chock-full of awesome "big boy toys" like firetrucks, cars, tractors, and trains, and a few babydolls for the girls. No doubt sharing will be a hot topic this year in class.

So Tuesday was his first day of 3 year old PreK. Like most parents tend to do, we had a special outfit chosen for the first day of school. It was a cute solid blue shirt with plaid shorts that his Granny bought him. We washed it and set it out the night before. Tuesday morning, Bird got up and dressed without any complaints. He even agreed to wear his extra cute tan loafers instead of his tennis shoes! I fixed his breakfast and showered while he ate. When I finished, I went to check on him in the kitchen and found that he had completely changed his wardrobe. No longer was he wearing his cute plaid shorts and tan loafers. Instead, he had put on a dirty pair of jeans and his "work boots." And his nice, clean, ironed blue shirt now had chocolate milk spilled down the front of it.

Now, let's pause for a moment so I can give you some backstory. All spring and summer long, I have STRUGGLED to get Bird to wear shorts. He LOVES jeans and hates shorts. It's a battle I've fought EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. of warm weather. And basically, any outfit I choose for him is a loser. Now, you're caught up.

So Tuesday morning when he appeared in his jeans and boots, and I saw the determined look in his eyes, I decided I was done fighting. I've come to the conclusion that I have better things to do than argue with a 3 year old about his wardrobe. So, with that explanation, here's our "First Day of 3 Year PreK" picture. Now you understand why my kid looks like he chose clothes fresh from the dirty clothes pile. It's because he did. And because of that cute little smile - I'm ok with it.